Burned
by Winged-Kitsune2
Summary: This is a very short Side story in which Cayden and Soma have a bit of a chat. For those of you who don't know, Cayden and Soma are two AUs of Ben. You don't need to know anything about The Predators Series to read this.


/A:N/ this takes place in a multidimensional series, The Predators, but for the sake of convenience, it takes place in the Caydenverse part of the series. Ben 10, Ben Tennyson, Ben 10 Omniverse, Rook Blonko, and Argit all belong to Cartoon Network Studios. The ideas belong to me.

Also, side note, in my stories, unless time travel is at play, Rook will only ever be a few years older than Ben, if any. In the show, when the two are deaged, they both turn into children of the same size (though, I think Rook was smaller), which gives me the impression that Revonnaghanders, as a species, have immense growth spurts upon puberty. This idea is helped by the diet of the species being of a very nutritious plant, which is described to have special attributes. With such a good diet, they would likely grow very well.

Ben gripped his arm, an attempt to stem his blood and preserve that which had yet been lost. He stood beside his partner and an acquaintance. Battered, bruised, and spiritually drained from excessive use of his Omnitrix, Ben resorted to replicating a form of a fighting style Gwen had demonstrated to him in days long past. If it came down to it, he wouldn't hesitate to leap into the fray fist first.

It was a bubbling mess of a candy-apple red substance which coated the ground, thick and sticky but liquidy and flowing, almost like hot caramel. It was from this substance that a figure stood, their body barebone and without any soft tissue. Its face, a mask with a vaguely skull-like shape, stared ahead, it's only means of sight through thin slits.

Actually, the entire thing appeared to be of a skeletal design. It had thin limbs of a hard, white material, and a lone cord which ran vertically as its spine. A single mass acted as its rib cage, though what this structure protected was anyone's guess. Nothing more could be inferred from the things appearance, as pastel red dripped endlessly from the whole as it did every other gap, being pulled from wiry tubes which extended from its upper back.

The air was suddenly filled with a static, the energy causing Ben's skin to tingle. That was a warning sign, one that he was gleefully familiar with. Something erupted overhead, causing all heads to snap in the direction of the sudden sound. None were able to catch sight of whatever the thing had been, as threadlike vectors shot outwards, impaling the thing that stood before them and robbing them of their attention.

The strings coiled around the spine and limbs, though many incinerated upon contact with the red liquid. With a snap, the skeletal frame was torn from the ground, many thin tubes snapping as they broke from the thing. It smashed into the ceiling above with the force of a freight train, only to fall onto the ground with a small splash. Broken off pieces fell to the ground around it. It moved, struggling thoughtlessly, painlessly against its binds. It's movements were without hassle or fright, but it was jerky nonetheless, random parts of it twitching as it attempted to stand. Per its nature and limited artificial intelligence, it was unable to perceive the string which bound it as a threat.

Again, it was yanked skywards, the vectors forming ropy tendrils which ensnared each limb. They pulled taut, a single remaining tendril shooting through the skull, and shattering the mana battery within.

Softly, something landed behind the three watchers, their reactions varied as they watched the strange doll, the last of its kin present, fell to the ground, bouncing slightly before going motionless. The person to have landed behind the distracted watchers stood from his crouch, dusting off imaginary dust from his shoulder.

He had landed in a dry patch of cement, and purposefully so. If his vectors disintegrating upon contact wasn't a warning, than nothing was. The liquid was a corrosive substance, which reacted to life energy. Best to avoid it as a whole, lest the substance mar his flesh.

Ben turned looked around, trying to find the source of the thin tendrils. After completing a 180° turn, he spotted him. His eyes lit up, "Caycay!" He exclaimed in delight, crossing the distance quickly and embracing the other. "You came! Hey, wait. What took you so long?" Ben asked, pulling back. His cheerful expression becoming bemused.

"Sorry, Soma, but I was in the middle of something." The person, 'Caycay', said. From afar, Rook eyed the pair with interest, shock, and confusion, before turning back around and venturing over to study the fallen combatant. Argit, however, rushed over to demand an explanation.

'Caycay''s eyes widened. Suddenly, he grabbed hold of Ben's face, turning it and bringing it closer for inspection. A horrid burn, blistering and with notable boils, stood out on Ben's right jawline. 'Caycay' narrowed his multi-hued eyes in concern.

"Oh, that. Yeah, we were fighting in close range, and one of them kicked the red stuff at me." Ben said causally, looking away as his face twitched in pain. He glanced to his the device on his wrist, smile falling, "The trix was giving me nothing but bad aliens for a while back there...then it stopped working again..."

"Does it still hurt?" 'Caycay' asked, still holding the other's face.

"Do you want me to be honest or do you want me to sugar coat it?" Ben asked, still sounding undeterred.

"Honest."

"It feels like my skin is melting off." Ben answered blatantly. "Do you have anything for that?"

"Not on me..." 'Caycay' said slowly, "but Vare restocked our supply of salve just the other day."

"Well, that's a relief, wher-" 'Caycay' held up a hand, bringing the conversation to a halt. Just as he did this, Argit had managed the distance. He looked worse for wear, and there was a noticeable lack of quills protruding from his scalp.

"Hey, Benni, who's your friend?" Argit asked. With the closer proximity, Argit realized the newcomer to have a very familiar face. Though there was a difference in skin tone, muscle mass, intonation, hair, eyes, and body language, he held a definite resemblance to Ben. He could almost be a twin, if Argit didn't know any better.

'Caycay' dropped the upraised hand, and Ben spoke, "This is Cayden. Cayden, Argit, Argit, Cayden." Ben introduced. He noticed Cayden eyeing his injured arm, a deep-set frown forming.

"That was some nifty work you did back there, Cayden. Personally, I could have held up on my own, but I'm sure my buddies here really owe you a solid." Argit said. Cayden's expression was coated with a cold neutrality.

"Thank you. Now, Soma, I think it's time we depart. Are your cohorts going to come along, or is it alright if we just leave now?"

"Drop the fancy lingo, Cay. I don't know about Argit here, he sort of has a business to run, and my boyfriend has work, but I think he'll want to come. I don't know."

"Well, figure it out quickly. We need to get something on those burns." Cayden instructed.

"So, Cayden, do you happen to know what that thing was?" Argit asked, looking over towards the strange mechanism that lay in pieces.

"It was a doll, a possessed mannequin, a puppet with built in demands. They're normally simple minded and easy to subdue. You shouldn't have had this much trouble with it." Cayden said, directing the end part of the statement to Ben with a disapproving look. "Master won't be pleased by this, Soma."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll deal with it. Elkan is cool, I'll explain what, and he'll listen. I have nothing to hide from him." Ben responded in an assuring manner. Cayden looked to the approaching other, a Rook and the lover to this version of Ben. This aRook had been incompetent in his aiding, and this fact flavored Cayden's distaste for the person. If he would be remaining at Soma's side, he would need to be better equipped, trained, or both.

"Ben, do tell who your acquaintance is." Rook said, hauling the larger section of the puppet along with him. No burns marred the catlike young man, though red liquid was congealing on some areas where the ultrafine fur had been unprotected by the protective suit, his hands being the most egregious examples.

"I am a friend of _Soma's_." Cayden said, emphasizing the name. He studied Rook, his eyes critical and disapproving. "We will talk about this later. For now, we must be off." Cayden said.

"Hey, Rook, you mind coming with me while I get some stitches?" Ben suddenly asked, turning to his partner and lover.

"I would not mind, Ben, though I must ask why this person is so insistent on calling you-" Cayden suddenly grabbed a wrist from both Rook and Ben. They exploded into energy, a bright mist which caved inwards on itself, as if being sucked by a powerful vacuum. A moment, and they were gone.

Argit blinked, rubbing his eyes. After the sunspots had eventually died down some, he realized himself to be alone. With a groan, he turned and left. It would be a long walk to undertown. All in all, though, it was a normal day with Benjamin Kirby Tennyson.


End file.
